John 3 vs 14 - 15 “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” In a few weeks time, around Easter you may see politicians appear on television wearing a white lily, or around July men walking with banners and orange lilies affixed to them. Growing up here you won’t need anyone to explain the background to these lily symbols. However, in the event that you might be reading this in a different culture or context the white or Easter Lily is a symbol adopted by Irish Republicans to commemorate the Easter rising against British rule in 1916, whereas the orange lily, a symbol precious to Ulster Loyalists and the Orange institution commemorates William of Orange, a protestant monarch, and his victory over the forces of his father in law King James II, the last catholic King of Britain and Ireland. That is as much as I’m going to say on that one, the rest you will have to look up on Wikipedia. Lilies then have been adopted as symbols by opposite sides of our political divide. My point, in walking that tight rope, is that the symbols are meaningful only if you know the background. If you haven’t a clue you may think that these things represent rival gardening clubs! How many times have you read John’s gospel and never taken much notice of the snake being lifted up because you didn’t know the background. On the other hand when Jesus said this to Nicodemus he knew immediately the background and significance of Jesus words. The incident Jesus spoke about is told in Numbers 21:4-9 in the context of further grumbling and disbelief on the part of Israel. They began to complain against God and Moses that they are fed up with God’s provision of manna, why had God brought them into the desert to die, they were better off in Egypt and so on. Ungrateful bunch, they had forgotten the reality of their plight and the fact they had cried to be rescued and God graciously answered. They longed for Egypt and as a punishment for their sin God allowed them to be plagued by venomous snakes a symbol of Egyptian power and many died. Back they came to Moses, confessed their sin and asked if he would pray that the Lord would take the snakes away. Rather than do that God told Moses to cast a snake and put it on a pole in the camp, and anyone bitten by a snake could look at the symbol and live. Ironically, the instrument of judgement, the snake, became the symbol of forgiveness and healing power. Behind it of course, lay the grace of a loving God. You see now, I hope, why Jesus referred to this obscure event in the wilderness. Jesus, lifted on the cross is the one to whom we look in faith for rescue from the result of sin and for the gift of eternal life. Now, when we see a cross we understand the background behind the symbol. The cross points us to the grace of God and to Jesus who on the cross died to atone for our sin. As we look to him in faith our sins are forgiven and we receive the gift of eternal life. In that way a thing that was the instrument of judgement and certain death became a symbol of forgiveness and new life.
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Matthew 16 vs 13 - 16 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ "O wad some Power the giftie gie us to see oursels as ithers see us!” This is our cultural snippet for the week and of course living in a region where the Ulster Scots dialect is widely appreciated many will know what this means and probably could tell me who said it. The English translation first and the author at the end; “Oh would some Power the gift give us, to see ourselves as others see us.” Isn’t it telling when we discover how others see us and measure how their opinion of us matches or contradicts our perception of ourselves? Sometimes it’s a rude awakening. Of course Jesus knew well his identity and what his mission was on earth. He had steadfastly resisted the temptation to hype up his reputation and whip up a Messianic fervour that had more to do with nationalist politics than the kingdom of God, and yet the time must come for people to see beyond the miracles and signs to his real identity. The opportunity came to sound out his disciples on that very point as they travelled around the northern region of Caesarea Philippi and he popped the question. “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” In other words, who do people think I am... what do they say about me? Clearly from the answers the disciples gave the people understood that Jesus was a great man of God, John the Baptist reincarnated, or Elijah or one of the prophets all forerunners but not the Messiah. We don’t know if Jesus was disappointed by this or concerned that still people had not twigged to his true identity but in a sense that wasn’t nearly as important a knowing if his own disciples understood who he was and what he was about so he turned the question round and applied it to the disciples themselves. As so often in the past it was Peter who was first to answer “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” At least that much was understood but what did they grasp of his mission? What was their perception concerning the Messiah, what did they expect from Jesus? Much the same as everyone else it would seem. Whilst they got that Jesus was the Messiah they had no understanding of his work as Jesus would go on to describe it nor did they know how it would impact their own lives. Like these men when we come to Jesus and accept him as Lord we should not imagine that is all there is to know and all that he expects of us. It’s been said with some justification that Jesus doesn’t call converts but followers. Discipleship means following where Jesus leads and doing his work, and it’s best we know that will be demanding. Jesus had a lot to teach his disciples about the cost of being a disciple which at that point they did not know and could not take. At some point though the penny dropped and John would later write about the kind of life that exposed true faith. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” (1 John2:6) It simply confirms that the teaching and example of Jesus once they had all passed through the trauma of the crucifixion and the joy of resurrection were lessons well learned and sometimes it is in the crucible of trial that the keenest lessons are learned. The disciple after all should walk as Jesus did. The author in question was of course the Bard of Ayrshire Rabbie Burns. Luke 13 vs 1 - 5 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.’ It seems that just like today, the people in Jesus time believed that bad things only happened to bad people and when disaster befell someone there was always a suspicion that they deserved it for some reason. Look around, bad things happen to good people, so what is going on here? Well, just prior to the bible reading above Jesus made a reference to his crucifixion saying that he had a baptism to undergo, and that people should not suppose that he had come to bring peace on earth that in fact people will divide over him and families will be split down the middle. He tells the crowd that they know how to interpret the signs of the weather but that they cannot read the signs of coming judgement. Then came the knockout, if they thought that the people who were killed by Pilate or those who died when a tower fell on them deserved judgement more than they did, they needed a reality check. Unless the crowd listening took note of the signs and repented, judgement would fall on them. We don’t like the thought of judgement; the whole idea of gentle Jesus meek and mild speaking about judgement is repugnant, it offends our childish images of the Saviour. We would much rather talk about love and I guess we are all like that, I know I am. Sometimes it is because the world is setting the agenda for us and to avoid any unpleasantness we tell them what they want to hear. The indulgent grandfather in the sky is a picture of God everyone can cope with. At other times our motive is the genuine and we simply believe the message of love will melt the hearts of sinful people and turn them to Jesus. Not very often though! In fact there is nothing contradictory about the judgement of God and the love of God for both must be held together and the cross is the place they meet. Redeeming love you see has no reference point; there is nothing by which to measure it if we do not see it against the threat of judgement and punishment. If people do not know what they can be saved from by the death of Jesus and what they must bear apart from him why should they be moved by his love? It is incomprehensible to them and unnecessary. A jeweller may set a diamond necklace on black velvet to better show its beauty and the sparkle of its gems. Set against the darkness of judgement the wonder of Jesus love shines with greater beauty. John 2 vs 18 - 22 The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” 20 They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. I’m sure you’ve had the experience of hearing something that didn’t mean a lot at the time but something later brings back the words with a clear memory. Thinking about the encounter described above for some reason the phrase “The first casualty when war comes is truth” came to mind. I didn’t know the first thing about it, who had said it, when or in what circumstances or even where I heard it before but I discovered it is attributed to US Senator Hiram Warren Johnson who was an isolationist politician speaking in 1918. Johnston did not want any American involvement in the European war. Even if the war in question is no more than a war of words it seems to be true that truth is the first thing to bite the dust. When the Jews demanded of Jesus a sign to prove himself and he spoke about raising “this temple” he was speaking about his body but, true to form, truth was the first casualty and the words, either misunderstood or most probably deliberately misrepresented, continued to be controversial. They were used to accuse Jesus at his trial (Matthew 26:60-61), there is a hint of them again in Acts 6:14 when Stephen was accused by the religious elite in proceedings that would cost him his life. That though is one side of the story. Quite apart from the background at the time the words themselves lodged in the recesses of the disciples minds and were brought to mind by the Spirit to affirm the truth of the resurrection; and no wonder for he is also the Spirit of truth, and his work is to glorify Jesus. As they ate and talked together on the night of his betrayal Jesus told his disciples, “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” John 16:12-14. The most deceptive forgery is that which is closest to genuine, the most dangerous lie is that which contains the largest element of truth without being the whole truth; and the words that are most destructive are those actually spoken but later given a twist. Even today Jesus words are at times misunderstood, at other times misrepresented and misapplied, it will always be so, but still, when the Holy Spirit is at work and when he applies the truth of Jesus words to individuals seeking truth, even to our hearts, he brings forth faith and life from sin and death. 1st Corinthians 10 vs 13
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. We sometimes joke, as we take another chocolate biscuit, a second or third, who’s counting, ”I can resist anything but temptation.” Actually we joke precisely because someone may be counting and we perhaps feel it’s better to comment ourselves than have someone else point out our excess. Once upon a time I thought that the temptations I faced were unique to me, like my fingerprints or the pattern of the iris but in fact, while some things may specifically test this or that one, many temptations are common to everyone; the chocolate digestives, for example. As we daily follow Jesus we face temptations of various degrees of seriousness, but when we give in to temptation that’s when it becomes sin. That is why we ought to resist and not think of it as trivial thing. There is encouragement in this verse in three ways. First, the very fact that others face the same temptations shows us that we are not completely unique in this respect. Someone, somewhere, at some time has faced exactly the same thing because no temptation overtakes us except what is common to people. If they have dealt with it and have mastered it we can too. Secondly God who knows our hearts and our makeup understands our weaknesses as well and better than the tempter. He knows how much we can take and so he will not let us be tempted beyond what we can endure. Finally, he helps by providing an escape route. The third encouragement! The problem however is that we do not look for the escape route or when it is presented we do not take it because the sinful nature has the upper hand and we have already given up the fight. In this the greatest temptation faced is perhaps to believe that God has left us alone to face the test, that he steps back and allows us to fall. It is a lie of the devil. Paul is unequivocal.... God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. That sounds like something that came out of personal experience, as if it comes from someone who has proved the point time and time again, so don’t blame God for your failure. That was Paul but Jesus also in his charge to the disciples who accompanied him to the garden where he faced that final struggle of obedience to God’s will on the night of his arrest, points the way to faithfulness and victory and Luke 22 records that in the space of just a few verses he says the same thing twice, “Pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Escape routes in various forms may come to the beleaguered Christian suffering the test of faithfulness, of these though, prayer has the Master’s endorsement. Pray like this: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:13 : John 3 vs 1 - 8
“1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.’ 3 Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” You know the old proverb, “give a dog and bad name and hang him”, well maybe not since most often all we hear is simply “give a dog a bad name!” usually though that’s enough to make the point. If someone has a bad reputation, deserved or not, it’s very difficult to shake it off. The proverb seeks to be fair to those who unjustly have a bad reputation. We have that kind of view of the Pharisees and to be honest, there is not much evidence in the gospels that it wasn’t deserved. Time and time again they clashed with Jesus and finally they were prominent among those who plotted his arrest and execution. There were, however, exceptions and today we’ve read of one, yes, an open minded Pharisee, a man in whom the Spirit of God was at work. He came to Jesus at night probably so that he would not be recognised, but prepared to admit that Jesus was a teacher sent by God. A good, but a safe admission and one that many people could and do make even today. Try as we might though, we can’t keep Jesus at arm’s length or manage his claims on us by admitting that he was a good man or a great teacher. We can sit on the fence with statements like that but with Nicodemus Jesus would have none of it. Whatever question was brewing in Nic’s mind Jesus cut straight to the chase. No-one can see the Kingdom of God, not even you Nicodemus, for all your standing, all your knowledge and all your piety, unless you are born again. You see, it’s not a bit of a tweak here or there, a bit more knowledge or a bit of a spiritual spruce up we need, like Nicodemus we need to be born again if we are to have any hope of entering the kingdom of God. And by the way, that’s not me saying it or just my take on it, that’s exactly what Jesus said to Nicodemus who was on the face of it, a good man, a pillar of the faith and a leader of Israel. Life begins with birth, and new life, with spiritual re-birth or being born from above. We are all born of our parents but for this new life, this new start it is the Spirit of God who gives us birth. Nicodemus left without any clear evidence that he came to trust in Jesus rather than his old time religion which was really a kind of self righteousness and that’s how it would have been except for this, in John chapter 7 there is mention that Nicodemus spoke in Jesus’ defence and incurred the rebuke of his colleagues. Later still, when Jesus was crucified it was Nicodemus who accompanied Joseph of Arimathea when they took Jesus body dressed it for burial and laid him in the tomb. Seems he came though at last and was born of the Spirit. In Jesus death was Nicodemus’ birth. How do you see it? Romans 4 vs 18 - 22
18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” Would you describe yourself as a patient person? Here I must hold my hands up and say that I definitely am impatient not in every case but in so many ways. Impatience can be a problem for the disciples of Jesus for so often God requires us to wait, to be patient and that is hard to do when we are suffering, or anticipating some blessing or promise that seems so long in coming about. God gave Abraham so many promises, great promises that would only come to fruition centuries beyond his earthly lifetime but to Abraham, and Sarah his wife who were without children God had promised a son even in their old age. Now, they were old even when God gave the promise, but Abraham had to wait and wait, and wait some more until as Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome, his body was a good as dead. This promise could only be fulfilled in Abraham’s lifetime and that life seemed to be running out rapidly. Remarkably though, Paul affirms that Abraham did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God and that is why God counted him as righteous. We don’t like it but often our faith is tested and for those truly called of God that testing is intended to develop our faith and Christian character but that isn’t always clear or understandable to us. Christians of course, are subject to all the comings and goings of life, all its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows but additionally there are the trials of faith to contend with which include waiting for something promised to us, for some change in our painful or testing circumstances or the end of persecution from whatever source it might come. These are the things that can discourage and lead us to question the love, power or trustworthiness of God. Add to that then the frustration that progress in the Christian life is sometimes slow and the sins that beset us seem often to have the upper hand. To be like Abraham then, of unswerving faith, is difficult. It’s here that the means of grace God has given to us, prayer, the bible, fellowship and the sacraments serve to encourage us and build our faith so that the confidence Paul expressed to the Christians in Philippi may be true of us, “……being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Phil1:6. No wonder then that John Newton confident of this and seeing the God of grace at work in all his circumstances could write words that we so often find comforting, “Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come, tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will see me home.” Be patient a while longer, the Lord has not forgotten his promises. In this Abraham is an example of faith for us all. Romans 4 vs 13 - 16 13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14 For if those who depend on the law are heirs, faith means nothing and the promise is worthless, 15 because the law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring – not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. During our summer holidays last year I would sometimes waken in the early hours to the sound of scratching overhead. I blamed in on mice in the roof space for it seemed to be directly above the bedroom ceiling and this was confirmed, for me at any rate, when I made thumped the wall and the scratching stopped. I reckoned I’d scared the mouse away. Night after night this went on until on one night I got out of bed and went into the hall and discovered the dog scratching the mat by the back door to make a comfortable bed for herself. Things are not always what they seem to be. We are so drilled in the concept of merit that we find it very hard to comprehend grace. We are told as children that Santa will not call at Christmas unless we’re good. We’re told to work hard at school and if we do well we will be rewarded, be that a new bike for passing an exam, or a place at the big school we want to attend. By the time we become adults we’re so complete wedded to the idea of merit that if someone gets something they apparently don’t deserve it gets right under our skin. Well the truth is if God gave us what we each have earned we would all likewise perish because we are all sinners. We all suffer from the same disease though we each display different symptoms of that sinful condition and if God did not show grace, not one of us could endure to eternal life. You see what Paul writes to the Christians in Rome is that Abraham, the father of all who have faith in Christ, did not receive the promises of God by keeping on the right side of the law. The law hadn’t even been given at that stage. No, he received the promises of God because he believed God and God counted him as righteous. It was an act of God’s grace. We try to make the law do something it can never do, set us right before God. Yet no matter how much effort we put in all the law seems to do is show us how far we fall short of God’s standard. The only way in which we can have peace with God is through God’s grace and that grace comes to us as we put our faith in Jesus. This grace, though free to us, was costly to God who in Jesus took on himself the weight of the law and its penalty as he stood in our place. It’s that great exchange; he took our sin and gave us his righteousness. Abraham Justified by Faith
4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. 5 However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. I hear the banks are in trouble with the public again, well with a certain section of the public who its fair to say are the more mature clients, people who are reluctant to embrace internet banking. That novel concept where you do all the work involved and the bank charge you for the privilege. Ahh I jest of course, but then I’m not one who uses internet banking so maybe there is a little cynicism there after all. The reason for the outcry in the news last night is the decision of one banking group to close yet more branches and deprive yet more communities of this vital facility. Gone forever are the days when you knew the staff in the bank by name. when you had a dedicated member of staff in the branch to look after your account and when you wanted to borrow money to change your car, or fit a new kitchen you made an appointment to see the manager. No forms to fill in, no affordability questions a bit of a chat, the manager had a quick look at the ins and outs of you account, a peek at your balances at the end of each month and asked you how long you needed to repay the loan, and before you were back to the bus stop or your car the money had been credited to your account. At least that’s how I remember it! It wasn’t your money, you hadn’t worked for it or accumulated it but it was credited to you on the authority of the manager. I thought about all that as I read the portion of the bible above from Romans 4, how Abraham wasn’t in himself righteous but because he believed God he was credited with righteousness. A righteousness, a right standing that came for outside his person, from God himself. However, its here that the analogy breaks down where the image of the bank loan parts company with the bible. Even when we borrowed the money it was not our own but credited to us for a distinct purpose and for a limited time, the loan still had to be repaid in full. God however credits us as righteous, not because of any ability by which we may repay him, or in anyway work off the debt of sin. It is covered by his mercy alone, a gift. This is sheer grace. We don’t deserve it, we can’t repay it but he in mercy counts us righteous in Christ and promises life, freely, simply as we believe and follow him. 1 Timothy 2 vs 1 - 6
1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. As Christians what is to mark our lives? Some might say Christian lives are to marked by perfect obedience, others may say it is be marked by radical living, giving up your wealth to the poor and living a wholly selfless live. While there may be some merit of truth in these ideas, they aren’t the description that Paul gives in 1 Timothy 2. Instead, he says the Christians are to lead “peaceful and quiet” lives. It is these types of lives that Christians are called to live for the glory of God. But how does on live this way? Paul says argues that we should be prayer for other people, even those in authority. It may not seem like a big ask to us for Paul to recommend this but to Paul’s audience it would have! He is asking them not just to care for their neighbours but also their local rulers, who often are wicked and mistreat them. Gods' way of salvation is open to everyone, even those we often find it hard to care for. This duty to pray for leaders and government is for us too, even when we find it hard to do so. Given the sorry state of the world around us, we are quick to complain when political leaders are failing at their jobs or promoting injustice. Certainly, we should raise our voices when we confront such problems; however, it is not enough for us merely to protest. We must also pray. God wants us to pray for our leaders, even the leaders for whom we have not voted, that they may rule in such a way that Christians are able to lead godly, quiet, and dignified lives. Why does call us to such a radical way of living? Well 1 Timothy 2:3–4 explains that praying for our leaders is good because it is in keeping with the desire of “God our Saviour,” who wants “all people to be saved.” God is Lord of everyone, sinner and saint alike. He is rich in mercy and desires all to be saved. Now, this may raise the question of what “all people” actually means. Does that mean all people every will be saved? Obviously to that question the answer is no, since the Bible is very clear that there are many people who will reject Christ and be damned. So, what does “all people” here in actually mean? Reformed teachers have often said, the Greek word translated “all people” can mean all kinds of people; leaders, followers, rich, poor, Jew, Gentile, and so on. This interpretation makes good sense, as Paul lists a certain class of people, rulers, when he tells us to pray for “all people”. God’s desire for the salvation of all means there is no people, race, creed, class or no rank in the world that is excluded from salvation. God's grace can save anyone! Even from worst of sinners to the least! We are to live radical lives because our motivation is radical! God’s grace has saved sinners such as ourselves and it can save anyone who repents. Therefore, we should live dignified and quiet lives that seek the salvation of all people. Let us pray daily that the Lord would give us a desire for everyone we know to be saved, even those people who can be considered our enemies. May we live lives that are quiet and dignified, praying for our leaders and ultimately the salvation of all people. |